Adams County has 12, Jackson County has 12, Lawrence County has nine and Pike County has nine of the high hazard dams.

“Our state’s aging water infrastructure includes nearly 1,000 dams in need of repair,” Brown said. “If a dam breaks and communities flood, families and business owners in too many communities would be ill-prepared for an emergency. That’s why I’m calling for passage of the Water Resources Development Act, legislation that includes critical resources for dam inspections and maintenance.”

The water resources development act is expected be voted upon in the U.S. Senate this week.

Among allocating funding for inspections and the creation of safety plans, the bill provides for maintenance, stronger safety requirements through the re-authorization of the expired National Dam Safety Program (NDSP).

“These conversations over the years have been about Ohio water, weather it’s the river, the great lakes or other bodies of water. That’s one of the things that makes us a rich state with beautiful lakes, rivers and creeks. It comes at no surprise that the water infrastructure we have such as locks and dams does matter,” Brown said. “Right now our aging water infrastructure includes some 900 hazardous or potentially hazardous dams. Among thousands of dams in our state, far to many lack basic emergency action plans (EAP). If a dam breaks and communities flood families and business owners would be ill prepared for an emergency.